Dispensing device



Sept. 16, 1958 E. REYNOLDS 2,852,170

DISPENSING DEVICE Filed May 15, v1956 2 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 16, 1958 E.REYNOLDS DISPENSING DEVICE Filed May 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l N E NTUF( ww/fm @gyn/@Los United States Patent DISPENSING DEVICE EdwardReynolds, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assigner of twenty-'live percent to.lohn F. Purdy, Toronto, 0n-

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in dispensingdevices, and in particular to dispensing appliances for dispensing apredetermined amount of material from a container or comparablereceptacle for holding a supply of material.

My invention more essentially concerns a dispenser for material infinely comminuted form, such as powder, and it is an important object ofthe invention to provide a highly serviceable and efficient dispenser ofthis type by which a measured amount of material may be dispensed in adispensing operation.

Another object of the invention is to produce a dispensing device havinga measuring chamber with valvecontrolled ingress and egress passageswherein a pusher rod serves to actuate the valves for discharge of aregulable amount of material.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing deviceof the kind referred to in which opposing valves are employed andpressed to their seats by spring pressure, and in which the pusher rodis depressed to actuate the valves for discharge of a measured amount ofmaterial.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispensingstructure of this character in which the body portion is attachable tothe mouth of a container, as by a screw connection, and in which thereis an upper chamber open to the mouth of the container and shaped tofunnel the material into the measuring chamber.

The invention produces an inexpensive and reliable dispenser of which aselected embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross section taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 2depicting the dispenser in normal position with the lower valve closedand the upper valve open for admitting material into the measuringchamber;

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional View, but showing the pusher rod depressedand the upper valve closed as in the first phase of a dispensingoperation;

Fig. 4 is a further and similar section in which the pusher rod isfurther depressed to open the lower valve for discharge of material asin the second phase of the dispensing operation;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 depict a slightly modified form of. the invention.

In these views, Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional elevation showing thedispenser in normal position with the lower valve closed and the uppervalve open for admitting material into the measuring chamber.

Fig. 6 is a similar sectional view to Fig. 5, but illustrating thepusher rod depressed and the upper valve closed as in the rst phase of adispensing operation; and

Fig. 7 is another similar view to Fig. 5 in which the pusher rod isfurther depressed to open the lower valve for discharge of material asin the second phase of the dispensing operation.

Now, turning to the form of the invention shown in Figs. l to 5inclusive, there is generally indicated at S y2,852,170 Patented Sept.16, 1958 ice a dispenser body of a suitable 'shape and of a hollowstructure to provide an upper funnelling chamber 9 and a lowerdispensing chamber 10. The funnel-forming walls 11 slope downwardly to-a central passage in the throat l2 which is disposed medially of saidchambers.

The upper part 13 of said body is provided with an approved form ofattachment means, such as the internal screw threads 14, for making adetachable connection with mating threads on the neck of a container 15in which a supply of material is held. The container may be of astandard type in which powdered material or the like is enclosed andmarketed. For example, the container may be ofthe commodity-holding typelled with ground coffee. The dispensing device is, of course, used onthe container to dispense the material in measured amount from time totime as desired by the user.

The throat 12 is counterbored to provide a valve seat 16 within themeasuring chamber 10 at the top thereof. A valve member 17 is engageablewith said seat, 16, to close the same, and for this purpose is arrangedto move to and away from said seat within the confines of the measuringchamber. The valve member is shown as being in the form of a discoidmember and is freely slidable on a pusher rod 18. The pusher rod isaxially arranged in the body 8 to project from the lower end thereof.The rod is desirably of a length to project upwardly of the funnellingchamber for entering the neck portion of the container, where it may besupplied with a known type of agitator, denoted at 19, for agitatingmaterial in the container and thus preventing clogging in the use of thedevice. On the lower end of the rod there is shown a button or pad 20for contact with a relatively fixed surface in a dispensing operation.

lt may be here mentioned that after the dispensing device has beenapplied, the container is inverted for dispensing material therefrom. Inthe inverted attitude of the container the `pusher rod projectsdownwardly from the dispenser with the button or pad lowermost. It canbe readily depressed by bringing it into contact with a relatively xed psurface.

In the use of the invention the material discharged from a container ina dispensing operation is deposited in a receptacle of some sort, suchas that indicated 'at 21, for example. Accordingly, the dispenser isinserted in the receptacle with the pusher rod contacting the bottomthereof. The container, together with the dispenser, is lowered toeffect a depressional movement of the pusher rod.

A valve member 22 is provided to coact with Vthe Valve member 17 and ispierced to slide on the pusher rod 1S within the measuring chamber 10.Valve member 22- is engageable with a seat 23 at the lower part of themeasuring chamber for control of flow of material from the chamber andthrough a discharge opening 24.l A cornpression spring 25 of the coiltype encircles the rod 18 and is tensioned against the opposing Valvemembersto press them to their respective seats. The spring is seated inrecesses 26 in thevalve members so that these members may come togetherin the fullycorp'r'es'sed condition ofthe spring.

The pusher rod is guidably constrained to endwise movement in approvedmanner. In the present arrangement this is achieved by the provision ofa bearing 27 carried by the spider arms 27' which are integral with orsecured to the upper portion of the body 8 within the chamber 9. A pairof spaced collars 28 and 29 are supplied on the pusher rod to provideshoulders or abutment faces for the valve members. One of the collars islocated above the valve members and the other is disposed below thesemembers. A helical compression spring 30 encircles the pusher rod undercompression with one end seated against the upper collar 29 and theother end seated against the bearing 27. The tension of spring 3l) isgreater than spring 25. Consequently the stronger spring normally holdsthe valve member 17 in open condition by reason of the pressure appliedon collar 28 and the abutment of this collar with the valve member 17(Fig. 2). In the initial stage of the depression of rod 18 the collar 28recedes from the measuring chamber which allows the spring 25 to press Tvalve member 17 to its seat thus isolating the measuring chamber `fromthe funnelling chamber (Fig. 3). As the pusher rod is caused to continueits inward movement the collar 29 abuts the valve member 22 and unseatsit. The measuring chamber is thus opened and the material therein dropsby gravity through the discharge passage 24 into the receptacle 2l (Fig.4). On freeing the pusher rod as by raising the container the spring 3)returns the pusher rod to normal position. Since the measuring chamberis first completely filled and then emptied in a dispensing operationthere is a predetermined amount of material dispensed in each operation.

It is desirable to provide a measuring chamber which can be adjusted tovary its capacity. One way of doing this is to construct the chamber intwo parts with one of them formed as an element rigid with the body 8and the other interfitted and capable of being moved axially of the rod18 to increase or decrease the size of the measuring chamber. Themovable part is shown at 31 and has a screw connection 32 by whichadjustment is made. The adjustable part 31 is pierced to provide thedischarge orice 24 and the seat 23 is formed on an inner face. Theprotruding end 33 may be knurled or otherwise fashioned to facilitateits being readily turned by hand.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, there is only aslight variation in the construction. The collar 2S is dispensed with inthis structure and a coil spring 34 is employed to act directly on thevalve member 17. Spring 34 encircles rod 18 and is shouldered at itsupper end against the bearing 27 similar to the mounting of spring 3Gpreviously dealt with. Spring 34 is, however, of less strength thanspring 35 which is interposed between valve members 17 and 22. Spring 35is comparatively short and in its normal position (Fig. 5) issubstantially relaxed. In the normal position valve member 22 is lightlyheld against its seat 36 which is disposed at the lower end of thedischarge orifice 37. Seat 36 is formed by counterboring the orifice 37.The counterboring accommodates the valve member 22.

A collar38 is provided on the pusher rod below valve member 22 to abutthis valve member. When the pusher rod is depressed the valve members 17and 22 are moved upwardly along with spring 35. In this way valve member17 is brought into engagement with its seat 16 to close the throatpassage (Fig. 6). In the: continued upward movement of the rod thespring 35 is compressed by the collar 38 acting on the valve member 22and accordingly the discharge orifice is opened (Fig. 7) to dischargethe material in the measuring chamber. The movable parts assume theirnormal attitude when the pusher rod is allowed to return.

From the preceding description it will be manifest that the inventionprovides a new and useful dispensing device which is cheap tomanufacture. It will be under- 4 stood that changes and variations maybe resorted to as come within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A dispensing device for a container, comprising a `rollow body havingan upper funnelling chamber supplied with walls sloping downwardly to athroat passage including an encircling valve seat, a. measuring chamberimmediately below said tunnelling chamber and in communication therewithby means of said throat passage, said measuring chamber having a lowerdischarge oritice axially aligned with said throat passage and suppliedwith an encircling valve seat, said valve seats being arranged to faceeach other, a co-axial pusher rod supported for cndwise movement andextending through said tunnelling chamber and measuring chamber, saidpusher rod projecting through said discharge orifice, lower and uppercoacting valve members slidably mounted upon said pusher rod to moveendwise thereon and spaced for independent operation, a compression coilspring encircling said pusher rod between said valve members andpressing them apart to engage said upper valve member with the valveseat of said throat passage and to engage said lower valve member withthe valve seat of said discharge orifice, an abutment face on saidpusher rod below said lower valve member for unseating this valve memberwhen said pusher rod is moved upwardly, and spring means capable ofunseating said upper valve member when the lower valve member is seated.

2. A dispensing device for a container, 'comprising a hollow body havingan upper tunnelling chamber supplied with walls sloping downwardly to athroat passage including an encircling valve seat, a measuring chamberimmediately below said tunnelling chamber and in communication therewithby means of said throat passage, said measuring chamber having a lowerdischarge orifice axially aligned with said throat passage and suppliedwith an encircling valve seat, said valve'seats being arranged to faceeach other, a co-axial pusher rod supported for endwise movement andextending through said tunnelling chamber and measuring chamber, saidpusher rod projecting through said discharge orifice, lower and uppercoacting valve members slidably mounted upon said pusher rod to moveendwise thereon and spaced for independent operation, a compression coilspring encircling said pusher rod between said valve members andpressing them apart to engage said upper valve member with the valveseat of said throat passage and to engage said lower valve member withthe valve seat of said discharge orifice, an abutment face on saidpusher rod below said lower valve member for unseating this valve memberwhen said pusher rod is moved upwardly, an abutment face on said pusherrod and spaced above said upper valve member when both valve members areseated, and a compression spring encircling said pusher rod and bearingon said last mentioned abutment face to press said pusher roddownwardly, the stress of said last mentioned spring being greater thansaid first mentioned spring.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

